How about healthy pumpkin muffins?

This recipe is originally from LTEV, and I’m posting my oil-free modification today. The recipe had very little oil to begin with, so they were pretty easy to adapt.

The muffins are justas light and tender – and delicious! Bonus: They smell positively enchanting with the spices when baking!

You may find it hard to believe that they are healthy pumpkin muffins. No need to tell anyone. Just serve. 😋

Hope you enjoy these, guys. Do let me know! x Dreena

5 from 2 votes

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Pumpkin Oat Muffins with Chocolate Chips

Bring the enjoyment of pumpkin pie into delicious whole-grain muffins!

Ingredients

Topping (optional, not included in these photos):

2tbspunrefined sugar

pinchsea salt

Batter:

1cupspelt flour

1cupoat flour

1/2cuprolled oats

2tspbaking powder

½tspbaking soda

1/4tspsea salt

1/2tspcinnamon

1/4tspfreshly grated nutmeg

1/8tspallspice

3tbspcoconut sugar or other unrefined sugar

1/4 - 1/3cupmini non-dairy chocolate chipsoptional... maybe!

3tbsppure maple syrup

1tbspflax mealor 1/2 tbsp ground white chia seed

1cup plain or vanilla non-dairy milk

1cuppumpkin pie mixI use Farmer’s Market Organic brand

1tbspfreshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ½tsppure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and set aside until batter is ready. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, sifting in the baking powder and baking soda. Stir until well mixed. In another bowl, first combine the maple syrup with the flax meal, and then add the remaining wet ingredients and stir until well mixed. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and gently fold and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Let sit for a minute while preparing a muffin pan with liners. Spoon the mixture into a twelve-cup lined muffin pan (filling 12). Sprinkle a little of the topping on each muffin. Bake for 21-22 minutes, until set to the touch. Remove from the oven, let cool for a couple of minutes in the pan, and then transfer the muffins to cool on a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.

Recipe Notes

Spice Notes: For a spicier muffins flavor, increase the allspice a little, add 1⁄8 to 1⁄4 teaspoon of ground ginger for extra spice.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Hi! I have been following your blog(s) for years and am a huge fan of your books. It’s been a SUPER LONG TIME since I have commented, however. I’m re-working my blogroll and am hoping you won’t mind if I link you up and start visiting and commenting more frequently. Drop by my place when you can and let me know your thoughts! Thanks!

The muffins look great. But what is pumpkin pie mix? do you mean canned pumpkin that already has the spices and some sugar added? I wouldn’t of thought so because you are adding spices and a bit of sugar (plus it would be too sweet). do you perhaps mean canned pumpkin w/ nothing added? That would make more sense to me but i wanted to double check.

Yes it’s a canned pumpkin pie mix, I use this one: http://amzn.to/2Amhtdl The texture is looser than canned pumpkin puree, it works really beautifully here. It has some sweetener, but not a lot, and the muffin batter doesn’t have that much added sweetener as well. If you want to use a pumpkin puree, you’ll need to use a little less, thin with additional maple syrup, and bump up the spices.

I didn’t have pumpkin pie filling so I used pumpkin puree’ and added pumpkin spice to it for flavour. They turned out really good, very moist, nice flavour. The spelt flour gives them a lighter texture I think.

Hi Jill, mini muffins are usually about 14 minutes, but check at that time as they may need longer baking based on size. For puree, use a little less than a cup (say 1 cup less 3 tbsp), add another 3-4 tablespoons of maple syrup, and increase spices a little.

Yes, I have a Thermomix (very high speed) so I make all my own flowers (rice, chickpea, buckwheat, oats, nuts, seeds etc)bit off topic but a chickpea/walnut batter is really nice for frying eggplant slices…… much cheaper,a good processor will do too

I did not have spelt either. I used whole wheat instead, but did have the oat flour. I used the oil since I was afraid the WW would make it dry. Turned out great. Do you just put the buckwheat groats in a food processor?

These look / sound delicious. What is in a pumpkin mix? We don’t have that kind of thing available in Australia. I’m guessing it’s pureed pumpkin and some spices? (I’ll have to do that bit from scratch cos I don’t want to miss out on these)

Sorry about your little one being sick–NO FUN! I agree, once they get int the mixing pot of preschool & kindergarten, it’s the ultimate snot/germ fest.

I feel ya–I don’t have quite so much as you on my plate, but being so “great with child” I don’t have my usual energy which makes it a bit harder. Though I did all my Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving & we put up our Christmas decorations then too–THANKFULLY!

Yep, stress bake definitely because when my work is crazy I can always convince myself I have to bake to make sure the whole family gets nutritious treats when times are tough! And it makes me feel useful and productive when work is difficult. And my lovely partner and daughter always give me heaps of accolades, even for something simple, so it bumps up the ‘worth’ of doing it even more. Plus – cakes and muffins are yum. Did I say yum? double yum! Thanks Dreena, you are an inspiration. Just coming into ice cream season here in Australia so expect some out of season feedback from me in the coming weeks! x

Awwww, that’s so lovely. It DOES make it feel even more worthwhile when they appreciate it. My family appreciates the baking too, for as much as I do they still say “ooh and ahh”. I love that! Bring on the ice cream, Jane! Make extra for me!! 🙂

These look delicious. Do you think they would freeze well? I have to make muffins for a party but I can’t bake them the day of so I will be making them a week ahead of time and freezing them. Any suggestions?
And as always, thank you for sharing your amazing talents with us!

Anna, yes, they freeze quite well. If you add the topping tho, that’s best fresh – not as good later whether refrigerated or frozen. You can still use it, just will become soft with freezing/thawing. And, my pleasure – thank you. 🙂

JoAnne, I haven’t tested them with all oat flour, but if you can have that they should be ok. You might need another 1-2 tbsp of oat flour in place of the spelt, and the muffins might be just a little more tacky with all oat (that’s usually my experience and why I tend to mix). But, overall I think they should be fine.

Totally stress bake! I like to think of it as an investment, as in, I can do this now and it will give me more time during the week for … I think it works! Wish I had some spelt flour to make these little guys right now- I’ve got a can of pumpkin that’s just waiting to become muffins! Love your site 🙂

Toooo funny! Andrea, I often bake 2 things one day thinking “I might be busier tomorrow”… but, in the process make myself particularly busy THAT day, hah! Still, I like to be prepared, family always toting snacks on the go. Thanks and enjoy!

I am ALL about stress baking. (And cooking.) Whenever I find myself stressed, tense, sad, angry, bored, overwhelmed, lost, confused, I feel the kitchen pulling me in, like centripetal motion. Experimenting and making things up as I go along is my panacea and cure-all. Creating things soothes me and helps both distract AND focus my crazy thoughts. It’s like getting a shot of valium. LOL Seriously, though. As soon as the bowls come out and I start mixing, I can feel everything starting to wash away. It is without a doubt, the best (and CHEAPEST) form of therapy for me. 🙂 (Exercise and getting in the garden/yard are up there, though, too.) I get ANTSY if I have to go more than a couple of days without being in the kitchen. It’s like a SICKNESS; I feel like I’m going through withdrawal or something. LOL

Liz, I often think I need intervention, lol! I am entirely relating to what you are saying. Some of my busiest days are my most creative! It’s just the mess after I could do without. 😉 We should start a support group!

I am a procrasti-baker! I should be doing something else but I’m going to bake these right now, as I have the ingredients at home (the overflowing pantry!). Strangely enough, I have not made these yet from LTEV, but your oil-free version makes me want to try these right away since I need to get back on the low-oil/no-oil bandwagon. I’ve been slipping! So, here I go . . . watch IG for a photo!